Hahaha Hot Rod Blog - Drag Week

[38P]

[QUOTE=Ron Ward;637415]

Indy 500 -101 years old
Daytona 500 -- 53 years old
Bonneville -- Ab Jenkins started running there in the 1930s, SCTA in the 1940s.

DW* is an infant compared to those events. QUOTE]




Indy 500 - 33 competitors

Daytona 500 - 43 competitors

Speedy, I think you may have trouble getting into these events, too...



Ron

Ron, thanks for the tip . . . .

[ls7gto]

Blah, Blah, Blah sniff, Sniff,"Sorry, but this thread is just making me angrier by the post."

As a mod motor owner and senior ford Master tech...your crying just makes me laugh at you even more.

[38P]

6 pages of butt itch. Your plan to piss off the entire planet is working.

"I love it when a plan comes together."

I'm amazed that you've apparently concluded that I've not raised a single valid point in "six pages of butt itch." We are really becoming a nation of superficial people who think in "tweets" and slogans.

[38P]

Blah, Blah, Blah sniff, Sniff,"Sorry, but this thread is just making me angrier by the post."

As a mod motor owner and senior ford Master tech...your crying just makes me laugh at you even more.

Thank you for your support. Have fun at 2012 DW*!

[BBR]

Who knows? Maybe I'll show up in Tulsa with my second-rate NON-LESS-POWERED "store bought" car . . .

If you do, just look for my POS. If you have trouble finding it, just wait a while, I'm sure it will emit a huge cloud of steam and/or become a self inflicted bonfire for a everybody to circle around and sing Kumbaya.

[38P]

If you do, just look for my POS. If you have trouble finding it, just wait a while, I'm sure it will emit a huge cloud of steam and/or become a self inflicted bonfire for a everybody to circle around and sing Kumbaya.

That'll certainly help you be, as Brian says, "behind the 200." ;)

[andy30thz]

I think you have raised some good points.
You've also kind of explained why I decided NOT to go on Drag Week.
The father in-law and I go every other year on Power Tour in his home built '77 Lincoln. I'm getting bored of that so I suggested going on DW.
Because our car is not bulletproof OR fast, our thought was to make two passes every day and then just be "part of the scene".
But after seeing that registration was limited and selling out quickly. I decided not to go out of respect to guys that really want to get out there and race.

But I have to also respect the 200 car limit. I missed the early years of power tour and drag week and I think those are the best times when these events are small. Power Tour is SO huge now it has to be fairly rigid because of its size. I hope leaving Drag Week small will help keep it intimate and flexible, not a huge impersonal event.

Can "insiders" still get in late because they have connections? Absolutely! Is it right? That's up for debate.
I doubt there is anyone of us that hasn't used our own personal connections to get an advantage. If you applied for a job, are a perfect fit, and know the human resource director....would you give him a call?

[Ron Ward]

[QUOTE=Speedzzter.blogspot;637444]

Ron, thanks for the tip . . . .

Glad to help.

From what I understand, the Boston Marathon has been around since the late 1800's and registration averages about 20,000 participants per year. You'd probably have a good chance of getting in there if you wanted to participate in a race with a lot of history.


Ron

[ls7gto]

Thank you for your support. Have fun at 2012 DW*!

I will not be there, as I decided I would rather wait till my Home built is finished . This way I leave a spot for others to race. I guess I could be like you and start a rant , that I cant go because My employer hates me and wont give me more time off of work.

[38P]

@andy30thz

I think you have raised some good points.
You've also kind of explained why I decided NOT to go on Drag Week.
The father in-law and I go every other year on Power Tour in his home built '77 Lincoln. I'm getting bored of that so I suggested going on DW.
Because our car is not bulletproof OR fast, our thought was to make two passes every day and then just be "part of the scene".
But after seeing that registration was limited and selling out quickly. I decided not to go out of respect to guys that really want to get out there and race.

From my observation, the majority of the cars & drivers on DW* are just there to be "part of the scene." The top classes only have a handful of entries. Most of the Daily Driver cars aren't close to the 10.80 e.t. limit. Sure, there are a few dozen competitors, mostly running "shop" cars, that are there to win their class and/or promote their business/reputation. Others want to get noticed so they can get in HRM. But I'd estimate that it's no more than a 1:4 ratio of serious competitor to "being part of the scene." (I expect the "iinsiders" to correct this number)

But I have to also respect the 200 car limit. I missed the early years of power tour and drag week and I think those are the best times when these events are small. Power Tour is SO huge now it has to be fairly rigid because of its size. I hope leaving Drag Week small will help keep it intimate and flexible, not a huge impersonal event.

HRPT certainly had a mess at IMS last year because of size. And it's probably a disappointment if you go expecting to hang out with anyone you've ever heard of from SIM.

But I still cannot agree with the 200 (or 213) limit at DW*. Perhaps a way around that, if tracks near Dallas, Memphis, Tulsa and other large cities REALLY cannot accommodate the "crowds" would be inspired by how they used to run the Monte Carlo Rally: Multiple starting points, such as a round-robin tour with the drivers having the top averages being being invited to a winner-take-all race-off on the last day.

However, I doubt there'll be any changes unless SIM either sees more money in an alternative format or the quality of the editorial source material drops off.

Can "insiders" still get in late because they have connections? Absolutely! Is it right? That's up for debate.
I doubt there is anyone of us that hasn't used our own personal connections to get an advantage. If you applied for a job, are a perfect fit, and know the human resource director....would you give him a call?

Who wouldn't? And HRM, just like any sanctioning organization, will cut a better deal to ensure the participation of big names who boost the gate. Just like George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm "All . . . are equal . . . some are more 'equal' than others."

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-reasoned response.

[38P]

Another crazy idea (to be shot down) would be to race your way into the field: Hold open a percentage of slots in each class for lesser-known drivers to race through a side-by-side elimination qualifier (actual drag racing, not time trialing). Then allow the winners and perhaps a few "promotor's choice" picks to advance to the next track.

A third "crazy" idea would to to allocate part of the slots through a lottery system.

[Bamfster]

Why don't you organize and promote an event like the examples you gave? I'll guarantee that I'll sign up ....

[CDMBill]

And I'll bet I could find 100 solid Ford guys like myself who would pay Ford $1,000 to rent'em a prep'd GT500 for DW* just to shut up all the Chevy windbags for a few moments.

Oddly enough the no rental car rule came into existance becuase of a Hertz Shelby GT 350 that I rented to get from Chicago to Cordova and our pal Jay Cermak who tansported our cars back and forth to Cali drove at DW '07. So rental racers are out. Back when we had 117 entries out of a advertised limit of 250 it wasn't so big a deal.

[38P]

Rental Cars -- one way to beat the system.

Oddly enough the no rental car rule came into existance becuase of a Hertz Shelby GT 350 that I rented to get from Chicago to Cordova and our pal Jay Cermak who tansported our cars back and forth to Cali drove at DW '07. So rental racers are out. Back when we had 117 entries out of a advertised limit of 250 it wasn't so big a deal.

But earlier I posted how a factory could get around the "no rental" rule. Major trucking companies often stock their fleets with "equipment leases" where the title to the vehicle is in the trucking company, but the "deal" is structured with a high residual or a "balloon" payment so that it functions as a lease.

Here's the skinny on how I think the Detroit lawyers would do it:

1. Find two or three trusted racers who will "invest" in the following game.

2. Identify a state or even an indian tribe with low registration/taxation fees.

3. Develop a sale/lease/indemnity agreement that would require an up front payment for tax/title/insurance/"first payment" and with a giant balloon payment for the balance of the car due immediately at the end of DW, with the option of transfering the car back instead of paying for it. All casualty losses would be covered by an insurance policy, so there's no real risk to the "buyer."

4. Have title issued from MSO by the state or tribe with the a lien on it in favor of the manufacturer or better yet, some front company that "finances" the deal. Lien holder is "loss payee" on the insurance policy.

5. The racers sign over the title and give up the first payment check before delivery of the car. The signed title is held by the lien holder. (If HRM has to see the title for check-in, then the turn over of the signed title could occur later).

6. The cars are delivered at or near the event together with an insurance card and whatever proof of ownership documents are necessary in the name of the driver.

7. After the event, the cars are picked up and the lien holder issues a full release.

See how that functions like a one week rental, but looks on paper like a sale transaction . . . .

Surprisingly, there was a lot of support in the following thread for factory-backed OEM cars in DW: http://www.bangshift.com/forum/showt...ion-Cars/page4

[38P]

Why don't you organize and promote an event like the examples you gave? I'll guarantee that I'll sign up ....

You've got to have more liquidity than I have to be an event promoter.